He blinks. His expression turns intense. “I’m going to do it. I’m going to be a better person. For me.” He turns to me. “I need to get Tomas.”
I cringe. “Well, there’s a slight situation there.” I shrug. “Father Robert said you owe him.”
Confusion mars his face. “And?”
I pat his hand and utter a sympathetic, “Oh, boy. You just put yourself in a situation even I never want to be in. When Father Robert says you owe him, he means it.”
Still confused. “I don’t understand.”
I stand and pick up my cell phone. I dial the number and hit send. Placing the phone to my ear, I turn to Xavier and respond in all seriousness. “Sorry, bub. He owns you now.”
Chapter Nineteen
Xavier doesn’t say much on the drive back to the church. And I’m not sure why. This angry man has yet to say a word since I called Father Robert to come get us. As soon as he crossed the threshold of the front door, I knew this was not Father Robert.
This was Bob.
And Bob was pissed.
Uh oh.
He pointed at Xavier and curled his lip. “This is how you repay me for taking you in? Scaring the shit out of Cat and your brother?” Surprisingly, Xavier didn’t lower his head. Even more surprising was when he lifted his chin and said in a steady voice, “I know I fucked up. There’s no excuse. I’m sorry.”
Bob placed his hands on his hips and eyed Xavier. “Pack a bag, one for you, one for Tom. You got ten minutes to get your shit together or I’m leaving without you. Then you can find your own way back to the church. You’re staying with us indefinitely.”
No argument.
Xavier stood, walked down the hall and started packing.
I look up at Bob who was cursing under his breath. When he gained composure, he looked up at me¸ “Looks like you’re getting your friends back, girl.”
I tried not to let my excitement show, but due to my fidgeting and attempt to suppress my gigantic smile, Bob could see right through me. He rolled his eyes, turned and walked out onto the porch muttering, “What have I gotten myself into?”
We drove in complete silence. No radio. No small talk. The tension in the air thickened with every single second passed.
When we pull up to the church, Bob stops the car. He looks at me from the rear-view mirror to where I sit in the back seat. “You head on in. We’ll be there in a while.” He side-eyes Xavier, his voice low. “I need to have a talk to Xavier here.”
Oh, crap.
I’ve heard that tone before. And if history is anything to go by, Xavier’s in deep shit. As in, a mountain of it.
Knowing better than to argue with Bob, I exit the car, but before I do, I reach over and squeeze Xavier’s shoulder in what I hope is a reassuring gesture. I step out and close the door. The car drives away and I sigh out loud. With a shake of my head, I turn and head up into the church. Suddenly, I smile and walk faster. I need to find Tomas.
We have soggy cereal to eat.
Chapter Twenty
Ari, Clark and I stare, mouths gaping in shock.
“Bob…” I say weakly, but I can’t even finish my sentence. This… this just doesn’t feel right.
Let’s rewind here.
After Bob and Xavier returned from there little car ride – when I say little, I mean they were gone for close to three hours… not that I was counting or anything – Xavier walked right past me, went into the room he stayed in previously and didn’t come out till sometime after dinner. Bob retreated to his office for about the same amount of time before he walked into the kitchen and quietly asked, “Tomas in bed?”
I went to work washing our dishes from dinner. “Yeah. He had a long day. He went out like a light.”
He tapped a finger on the counter in a nervous gesture. “Okay, good. I’m calling a meeting. Real soon.”
My body went rigid. “What’s wrong? Is it Frankie?”
His face soft, he walked over to me and placed his hands on my shoulder. “Oh, no, sweetie. She’s fine. I swear.”
I almost pouted. Almost. “Then why hasn’t she called me back?”
He gripped the back of my neck and pulled me close, not caring about my wet hands. I wrapped an arm around him as he rested his chin on my head. “I know her leaving has been hard on you, but you need to think about how she’s feeling. You have us. She’s alone. And pregnant. I’m confident in saying that she’s feeling a little worse than you are.”
My anger at him began to rise. I near growled. “Then let her come home.”
But he ignored me, placed a kiss to my forehead and walked away uttering, “Meeting. Half hour. Right here.”
Half hour passed quick enough. Soon Ari, Clark and I sat around the small table and waited in silence. Whatever was coming, we knew it wasn’t good.
Bob and Xavier came in from the back door. Xavier had his hands in his pockets wearing a face of stone.
That’s when Bob announced, “Meet the newest member of our team. Xavier. Codename: Mad Hatter.”
No one said a word.
All I could think to myself as I stared at Xavier was, “You sold yourself. Now you’ll never be free.”
May God have mercy on your soul.
Chapter Twenty-One
My family is falling apart.
Frankie is gone. Bob is here, but not really here at all. Ari disappears for hours at a time. And Clark is still uncomfortable around me, no matter how much effort we put into our strained friendship.
In a moment of madness, I think about calling Marco just to hear a friendly voice. Luckily, that moment of madness is just that. A moment. Xavier hasn’t said a word to me from yesterday. And I know in my heart that he’s disappointed in us. In me. I can see the hurt inside of him. He doesn’t want this. But that’s what happens when you make a deal with the devil. Any time something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
With Xavier walking the grounds with Tomas, I am bored out of my mind. I think about tagging along, but something tells me to keep my distance from Xavier right now.
He needs time to adjust.
I was born into this. This has been my entire life. I don’t know any different. For anyone else, the change would be astronomical. I don’t blame him for feeling betrayed. I would, too.
My garden doesn’t need attending, and is looking greener and healthier each passing day, so I sit quietly on the bench under the large oak and contemplate life. In a spontaneous decision, I stand and walk over to the barn. I key in my code and enter. I try not to look suspicious, but my motivations are not good ones. I know Clark is at lunch and Ari is in the church with Bob, leaving me alone in Mirage.
As I reach the first floor, I hesitate. I mentally argue with myself, and win. Without a second thought, I make my way down the stairs to the ground floor. I stand by the two desks. Both computer monitors are on. I don’t like the idea of intruding in someone else’s workplace, so I sit at Marco’s old desk.
All this thought about family has my mind reeling with unanswered questions. Questions it’s time were resolved.
Who am I?
Where did I come from?
Do I have any living biological family? Maybe brothers or sisters?
My heart swells with hope. That would be awesome.
I’m prompted to type in my username and password. I do and a window opens.
Full access.
I’ve been granted full access to the Mirage database. Excitement makes my head pound.
I start by scanning my bio and alternate identification documents. I quickly view the photographs. Some I have posed for, some candid. Shot from far away. When I get to the tab marked history, my eyes widen and my throat tightens.
This is it.
Swallowing hard, I click on the tab. A small window comes up. I frown.
Access Denied. Enter Password.
Access denied? Access denied?
Are you kidding me right now? Why the fuck am I denied access to my own history? Anger hea